I am back in the workshop after a week long vacation camping at Petoskey State Park on Little Travers Bay- about 45 minutes south of the bridge in upper-lower Michigan. My family has been vacationing there since the 1980's so it feels like a second home and no need for road maps! We had great weather and only minor experiences with skunks- thank you skunks for just passing through! It was good to take a break from work and have a chance to pick up a book, relax by the camp fire, and swim in Lake Michigan- clear and clean and warm enough. And a perfect break before diving into the busiest season of the year for chair repair- fall and holiday. Yes, I am taking orders already!

Today marks the 1 year anniversary since I began Emza's Chair Caning and weaving repair as a full time business! In the past year I have restored..... drum roll please.....198 chairs, rockers, stools, benches, hanging seats, trim pieces, child's chairs, high chairs, etc....

A big thank you to my husband who has put up with our house being perpetually full of chairs! And for being an extra set of hands to help me remove old weaving.I couldn't do it without him

This summer also marks the 18th summer since I first learned how to cane from my father and began to help him with his business (now retired). Here is a look back at a selection of my favorite pieces I restored in the past year: